Evening capital. (Annapolis, Md.) 1884-1910, 1887-10-18
TIE COSTERMONGER.
A ROUGH AND READY CHARACTER
OF THE BRITISH METROPOLIS.


Idle swarms I'm the Streets.
The London costermOnger generally
wears a fixed Kind of dress. His hat il
always black derby, rusty from rain and
weather. His coat is generally rusty
black frock. He rarely wears a waistcoat.
His trousers may be corduroy or any kind
of the cheaper woolen patterns. His shoes
are thick soled and hobnailed. He always
wears a colored handkerchief tied around
his neck in place of collar. These hand
kerchiefs are always dirty, except upon
rare Sunday and holiday occasions, when
new ties are donned. These handkerchiefs
are always of fanciful color, light blue
and red being the favorites. They are
worn high.up on the neck, leaving n couple
of inches of dirty neck showing between
the handkerchief and the greasy collar Of
the shambl:ng frock coat. The handker-
chief is really the badge of the order This
handkerchief about the neck designates
the character and standing of man in
England as completely and thoroughly as
II he wore uniform prescribed by act of
parliament The costernongers arc men
engaged in street traffic of all kinds. They
are generally dealers in vegetables. They
begin with push carts, and if they are
prosperous and reach the climax of their
ambition they become the owners of small
two wheeled wagons, drawn by little dom
keys or ponies. The strength and endur-
ance of these small animals are phenome-
nal. 7 have seen from six TO eight grown
people ON coss-- --snQnger's cart being
drawn at a furious pace &y d pony not
much larger than Newfoundland dog =
The costermonger never gives his pony
any rest He works him during the week
in his business and uses the wretched lit
tie animal on Sunday to give his friends
treat in the shape of a ride TO some cock
ney resort in the suburbs. The coster-
mongers live in the street. They are
never indoors except for eating and sleep
ing. A very severe, driving storm will
sometimes force them into the house, but
they generally take refuge under an avn
ing or some gateway. They are hardy,
tough, coarse fibered people. They are
noisy, and have perfect passion for
scenes of uproar and excitement. You
rarely hear of cOstermongers numbering
any of their associates or of their using
knives or pistols in their quarrels. They
have q way Of pounding and kicking
each other when engaged in disputes, but
are rarely arrested, as they never seem to
carry malice, and their fights generally
end up in good natured way. The
costermonger and his female are often
the chief actors in street brawl When
once costermonger has begun to keep
company with costermonger female
then she is considered his property. She
speaks of him as her man and she is
spoken of as his 'gal. -
1t was Sunday morning. The two had
started out evidently for a holiday lie
was in his best. He was a surly, heavy
&nw fell
nose and brawny, hairy fists He wore a
little black derby hat about three sizes too
small for his great, round head. His
handkerchief was the lightest of sky
blues. She was buxom, burly, of medi-
um height, dressed in true costermonger
style. Their dispute grew out of diff
ference OF opinion as to where they
should spend the day. She insisted on
going one way and he the other. They
disputed for half II moment, and then he
turned around and deliberately gave her
kick which lifted her about six inches
from the sidewalk, to convince her that
his way was the best. She turned quickly
and began kicking him in return. The
way she brought her number ten boots
around against his shins very soon con-
WINGED him that she was as strong at that
kind OF argss s.,ncit 40 he. They kicked at
each other for about five minutes, the
center ef !; delighted and cheering crowd,
and then the costcrmonger female by ber
skill in kiell.l.s carried the day. In a mo-
ment or swa more he gave up, grinned
COOL natslrssliy and the two walked off
together foT L happy Sabbath.
The Nay domestic brawls are carried on
in tie streets of London cannot be
matched. ;l certain, in any other city
in the wc-ld. Tic common people who
walk the streets regard these quarrels as
their csyn private theatricals and sterniy
re cat a.ss Interference of the police AS
genera i;liig the police do not touch
the lsravigrs unless they make too much
of disturbance and block up the streets
The police t.ien simply order them to
move CID, and make arrests only where
the disturbing party resists. During my
stay in Lonsiun | have seen more street
fights than Lad ever seen before in my
life. The actors in these street ficH:.<are "a
domestic bIs.H.ls appeaEe-sr0 to take great
prsdaeesssIn p1.aaes illc Eart5 which they are called
yadpon 70 ll:sy. 1-scy are stimulated by the
cheers AID Focss of approval from the au-
| dics.ce and do their best to maintain their
reputation for courage, ferocity and skill
IN rytort.
The women are especially excitable and
active IN street fight. The man gener
ally looks s1slky and shcepish when en-
| gaged in light with his female in public.
But the wO1ncn never give them q chance
to b:.css oHt. They are much more vim
dicsiye aud active than the men. After
the man bns been kicked three or four
times and las bad his face scratched up
60 n proper state Of rawness, he be-
comes excited and then strikes out
brutally and cruelty, unless q police
man happens TO be too near. The women
IRE generally the sictors in these street
fights. The fighting women generally
have babies in their arms. have seen a
number OF coetermonger virag0s bound
ing from the ground like hyenas, rushing
up and down with great leaps, hoWlfng
insults and epitlBets, then sweeping down
toward the hated object Of their wrath
Tor q blow or 4 kick, and when the man
strikes out the baby never seems to be re-
Rarded as ANYTHING more than buffer
The costernonger female uses her baby